Well Done, Good and Faithful Servants

Today was the Big Ceremony, the reason we came to Nepal. The day started at 5, getting up for the trip to Chitwan. (Well, I was up and down so I was already awake). Manaj drive once again and Gopal came along with a Korean man doing the videography. We left at 6 and the road out of Kathmandu was non-stop potholes combined with zooming in and out of traffic for a couple of hours. Even so, there was something quite soothing about it. Being on the road in another country is one of my content places. The air, the smells, the noise, the color of the morning sky.
After a few hours we stopped for breakfast at a nice outdoor place (yay, coffee! And fried potatoes and parotha). We rolled up to Baratpur exactly when we were supposed to be there, which was technically late. 
It wasn't long before the ceremony started. This was the dedication of the Chitwani Tharu New Testament. The work my parents started some 50 years ago when I was born here. The fancy banquet hall was full. Pastors from 30 something local churches came with congregants. 
There were many speeches and sermons of different lengths. In between these were some lovely dances. And we were asked several times to stand up. The whole thing took nearly 5 hours. Toward the middle they gave the slideshow my parents sent of our time there. And we were asked to speak so we gave some words my parents had written. We definitely felt like little celebrities
When it finally came time for the dedication, that was so moving. Some drumming and shouting and singing people came down the aisles, carrying boxes and booklets. There was more speaking and then the dramatic reveal of the New Testament 
It was truly remarkable seeing the work my parents started completed and knowing the long term impact they had. When we were forced out of Nepal, they had no way to know if anything would ever continue.
We ended the day going to the home/mansion of Ram Mohan, the translation project leader. The home is truly unique and they are amazing hosts. We will be here a few nights and he will be taking us trekking and to the village.

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